Response: Teachers as “Brain Changers”

Researchers have discovered so much about how the human brain develops and learns that a new field of scientific inquiry, called educational neuroscience, has been born. It explores how research findings from education, neuroscience, and psychology can inform our knowledge about teaching and learning, and whether they have implications for what we do in schools and classrooms. This interdisciplinary approach ensures that recommendations for educational practices are based in scientific research. Here are just a few areas of inquiry where the research is sufficiently robust for educators to consider translating the findings into practice.

• Teaching less with meaning leads to remembering more. Our understandings about working (temporary) memory are changing. We know it has age-related capacity limits that are often exceeded when teachers try to cram too much into a lesson because they have so much to cover. Additionally, the capacity of working memory seems to be declining, but no one knows exactly why. It could be that, instead of remembering facts, the brain remembers where to find them with search engines. That takes less memory capacity.

Learners can hold items in working memory longer than previously thought--up to several weeks. They then discard them when they serve no further purpose--for example, just after taking a test. This explains why students can pass a test on a topic today and hardly remember it several months later. Ever had that frustrating experience? Yet teachers hope students will remember forever what they were taught. When teachers have the new knowledge about memory systems, they can make that possible.

Sense and meaning appear to be among the major criteria the brain uses in deciding what to encode into long-term memory. Teachers work hard on having their presentations make sense, but not hard enough on making the learning meaningful, or relevant. Teachers should consider a greater focus on curriculum that the students perceive as relevant to their lives, especially in this technology-driven global society.

• Get students moving and keep recess. The typical classroom setting where students just “sit and get” was challenged by research findings showing that the brain is much more active when learners are moving around. Movement brings additional fuel-carrying blood to the brain. It also allows the brain to access more long-term memory areas (an ancient survival strategy), thereby helping students make meaningful connections between new and past learnings.

The recent discovery of mirror neurons that anticipate another’s mood or mimic one’s actions means that schools must pay much more attention to their social environment. Schools are so focused on academics and testing that they are often unaware of the powerful impact that social and cultural forces have on students. Do students feel welcomed and respected by their peers and teachers? Will they succumb to peer pressure and take risks to feel socially accepted? School culture is characterized by an openness in communications, a high level of expectations, a recognition and appreciation for effort, an involvement in decision making, and a strong degree of caring. All of these affect an individual’s self-esteem. Educators need to pay much more attention to strengthening the positive aspects of the school’s social and cultural climates. Regrettably, we have seen the kinds of violent acts that students can commit when they feel disaffected from their school.

• Teach in depth and encourage creativity. Contrary to a long-standing belief, neurons do regenerate, a process called neurogenesis. Diet and exercise contribute to this process. So does learning, which causes neurons to rewire themselves and establish new networks, especially when the learning is pursued in depth in a creative environment and with low stress.

• Maintain the arts. We recognize more than ever how the arts contribute to brain development. Consider this: We have never discovered a culture on this planet that does not have music, art, and dance. Yet these activities are often thought of as frills that are reduced or discontinued when money gets tight. The arts develop the critical skills students need to succeed in the 21st century: visual-spatial ability, attention and concentration, collaboration, and creativity (yes, it can be learned!). Different brain regions are involved in processing logical and creative tasks, implying that teaching strategies can raise the intellectual level and increase the creativity of all students.

• Helping those with learning difficulties. We know more about learning disorders, such as dyslexia, ADHD, and autism. These newer understandings are leading to successful interventions with children who have these learning problems. The success with dyslexia is breathtaking, but too few teachers know about it. Research evidence shows that the brain can rewire itself (a process called neuroplasticity) as a result of environmental input, and at a faster pace than originally thought. In an amazing application of neuroscience, this finding has led researchers to devise computer programs that help struggling students rewire cerebral networks to perform more like good readers. The good news for adults is that neuroplasticity continues throughout our lifetime.

• Get enough sleep. During sleep the brain is incredibly active, carrying out processes that help it to learn, make connections, remember, and clear out clutter. Studies show that sleep-deprived students are more likely to get poorer grades and more likely to get depressed than students who sleep longer. Teachers and parents should encourage their students to get sufficient sleep, so they have a better chance of remembering all the good information and skills they learned that day.

For centuries, effective teachers discovered through experience what strategies to use, but they did not know why the strategies worked, or did not work, on various occasions. That is what the findings from educational neuroscience are providing: the why. I call teachers “brain changers,” because that is what they are trying to do each day. It makes sense, then, that the more they know about how the brain learns, the more successful they can be at improving the quality and effectiveness of the educational experiences for our children.

It’s difficult/almost impossible for most teachers to weigh through all the brain-based research--much of which is gobbledygook. The words “brain-based” are thrown around with little scientific backing by pseudo-experts. I’ve greatly benefited from the research and corresponding books by UVA Professor Daniel Willingham. His blog and book have shaped my teaching and made me a better teacher.

Teaching students how the brain works and why you chose an assignment, greatly benefits the students. It demystifies the learning process and creates a culture of shared learning responsibilities.